Although we have already broken the news, we thought you would be interested to see their take on it. Ed

The road between Niton and Rookley has been reinstated in the winter maintenance gritting route. This road has not been routinely gritted since the winter of 2009/10 as part of an approach to help manage salt reserves and focus our resources on maintaining the major strategic routes.

However the relatively mild winter to date has meant that salt stocks have not been called on as heavily as had been anticipated which has allowed the council – following local representations – to reinstate the route for the remainder of the winter.

Undercliff Drive and the Military Road
Under the highways PFI contract the scope of the network to be gritted will be increased to the pre 2009/10 levels meaning that both this and a number of other routes including Undercliff Drive and the Military Road will also be reinstated in the winter maintenance programme in future years

While the current gritting programme is appropriate, the council is pleased to be able to provide this enhanced level of service and therefore a greater choice of routes around the Island for road users.

Motorists should however continue to take extra care when driving on all routes – including treated surfaces – in icy conditions.

I suppose we will have to start our own petition as the Council has not got the sense to include the Appleford road on the revised gritting schedule without a fight. A simple turn at the crossrods and within 5 minutes it could be done and the gritter would be back on track. It takes long enough already for the morning trip to work without having to detour via Blackgang and Niton.

Since I understand the council do pay attention to the forums, could you please instruct the gritters to do the Appleford road and save everyone uneccesary grief? It would be far cheaper having to send someone out to put up the road closed signs and then back again later to put them away again as happens now.